Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1887-04-30
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How K-piss. Nswtoa and the Oidsr A..
troaomsrs were ~ see On NE IAsory
Of Orbits Authors Career.
90 do not kn0w phat may appear TO the
Vortd, but to myself Iseem to have been only
ike a boy playing on the sedshorc, and dt
certing myself IN nOU and then finding a
smoother pebble or a prettier she'll than ordi.
Nary, wAsle the great ocean Of truth lay all
MRdiseouered before me-"
SIR ISAAC NEWTON.
This IL the modest language that one Of the
most remArk able men In Lancaster county
uses In bringing to the public notice
work that IL destined TO have . large
influence on tho mathematical thought Of
his time II u rather startling to think that
. plain farmer should dare 70 question the
grounds whereby Newton and . host Of
lesser lights reached their conclusions but
whom the career Of Henry q. Rush, Of New
DAnvilio, Is studied, II will be apparent that
he 10 no Idle dreamer and that bis discover
lee run through . series OF years and are the
concentrated product OF . vast amount oi
thought
We present TO our readers . picture Of Mr.
Rush, that they may the better know Who II
In thst assumes to say to the mathematical
world that It has been following false godA
His keen intellectual face exhibits Q man
whose whole life has been thoughtful Nor
has he been simply thinker 10 the affairs Of
mon. He In live energetic farmer who
combines practical knowledge with the0retic
skill and In the Lancaster County Agricul.
tural society, Of which he was not long since
president, bis voice always commands the
earnest attention Of his ielloxH, because Il 10
we'll known that whom he opens his mouth
he hes something to say.
How he came 70 make his mathematical
Investigations has already been alluded to In
this journal hut briefly 1t may be stated
that he entered Into an always loved subject
while confined to his home by illness. He
found that the Newtouisu conclusions could
10 established on more accurate basis, and
this discovery led to the elaboration OF bis
new theory Of orbits. These biographical
facts about our farmer.author will have great
Interest tor everybody.
HIS YOUTHFUL CAREER.
The subj -ct OF our sketch Was born In 1876,
OF humble psrentsge. Whether by reason Of
. mind early bent upoa exploring new and
oouB0touo patuWoyn VI ioSS AouuoDAO
cause, he was q victim to more than the
usual mishaps belonging to childhood.
Twice he WIS MANNED with broken limbs; /;
~ often he was nearly drowned. and at other
odd times aud tumbles when considered dead
he was favored by repeated resuscitations to
attain bis 18th birthday with the usual vigor
Of childhood. His earlier opportunities for
education were restricted to the common
schools, which be entered a. q genuine spec.
linen OF the Pennsylvania Dutch boy no.
able TO speak word OF English.
At the age OF eight years whom mental
arithmetic was first introduced into the
school, he displayed rem arksble aptness for
mathematics, remaining a, the head OF the
advanced class, consisting Of two other mem :
bers OF Is aud % years respectively, complet.
ing during that term Stoddard's Intellectual
arithmetic, one Of the most difficult Of that
day.
Al the age OF eleven he commenced the
study OF algebra and In two winters msstered
Rays Higher algebra to the binomial the0
rem. At fourteen he did his first teaching
With the exception OF half session spent u
the Millersville Normal schocl In 1864 he con
tinued TO the age OF 10 years to teach In the
winter aud work upon the farm In summer
In 1866 he ives granted another opportunity
10 attend tho Normal school. He was -
sigued first to the q. division and soon aftel
TO the h. division. He was transferred eigh
weeks before final examination TO the grad
uating class, thus ompleting the elementary
course st an expense (deducting the state sp
preparation OF 50 dollsrs} OF fifty dollars.
Teaching . graded school the following
| winter, hs was profisred . position ss asais
tant 10 the faculty at Millersville. in tn
| meantime preparing for higher degree. b!
the resignation OF Prot. Chas. II. Harding, tn
boy professor was called upon to Ill tn
chair of mathematics In the institution. Thi
brought weight OF increased responsibility
wherein the lsbors of tho student, the teHche
and the investigator were combined, and
soon became manifest that the strain had sen
sibly impaired his health whsreupon b
promptly resigned his position to resort to
different vocation. The needed chang
aftosding mental rest aud physical exercls
was found In the farm life to which his after
tion has since been directed. Concentrate
effort and persistent energy have been chal
acteristic OF all his efforts and these wer
pressed even to fault
HIS GREATEST MATHEMATICAL EFFORT
While the career OF our subject up to thi
period 10 indicative Of mental elevation
the browning effort OF his life and that
which II II especially desired to direct publ
attention u bic recent solution OF the problel
OF contrsl force Toe Interesting and valui
BILE results reached promise TO deliver th
department OF science OF the errors whlc
have heretofore rendered the solution OF th
problem OF three bodies IN imposaibilit,
His theories collide with those OF some OF th
groatest mathematical minds since the worl
began. In support OF thsm he has publishe
book os l33 pages which u entitled 18th
True Doctrine Of Orbits," and which W,
printed for the author BY the INrELLIaEs
| GER.
TIE work is necessarily sbstruss in cha
scteT, and to review It from popular s,ans
point would do 1t injustice An INrELL
aENcER representative therefore sought Z
interview with its gifted author TO get fro
him some outlines OF the new mathemstic
gospel that he wss prepared TO tssct
~ admit" said Mr.. Rush, eth
my book 10 revolutionary In character
but the fsatsrnity Of nstions Il modsstly chs
lenged 70 investigate its conolustons. I hsv
proposed 10 establish In II some sdmiteed
, large claima Upon the authority OF Ksplsr
obesgvatious and Nswton's demonstration
we nave bssn taught that the form Of Z
, planetary and many OF the cometary orbi
L = A~Nl =